Social tenants should keep gardens tidy or face eviction, Reform chairman says

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Social housing tenants should be made to keep their gardens well maintained or face eviction, the chairman of Reform UK said, as the party said it would prioritise British-born workers under-35 for council homes.

Lee Anderson indicated to a press conference in London that people living on social housing could have to keep their homes “decorated” and gardens looked after, or face being kicked out.

He was speaking as the party made its latest announcement that priority would be given to veterans and married couples with children, if it wins the next general election.

The party has already said it would evict foreign nationals from social housing.

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice set out a plan for the party to build 50,000 affordable social homes a year, which he says will require no new taxes or borrowing.

However Mr Anderson said social housing tenants should maintain a minimum level of upkeep on their homes, as he recalled standards required after the Second World War.

He said: “If you go back in time and look what actually happened… the people that rented council homes had to be married under a Labour, socialist government.

“They had to look after their property. They had to keep it well maintained. The gardens done and decorated, and they were inspected on a regular basis by officers from the council.”

He said tenants would previously be given chances and a “ticking off”, but added: “If after that you didn’t keep it up to reasonable standard, you were out, and they gave it to another couple who would look after their property.”

As he was further pressed on the issue, he said: “What is wrong with expecting people who live in subsidised housing, paid for, subsidised, by the hard-working British taxpayer … to keep their house to a reasonable standard?”

He added: “We see all sorts of people moving into these brand new houses and creating mayhem and disturbances on these brand new housing estates.

“And the hardworking British taxpayer, the alarm clock people who get up at 5am or 6am, go to work and see the house next door with 4ft of weeds, dustbin not been emptied for three weeks and a waft of weed coming out the window, is not acceptable.”

Announcing their social housing policy at the event on Monday morning, Mr Tice said it was “not fair” that British people are “unable to get on the housing ladder” ahead of foreign nationals.

Source: Read the original article on www.standard.co.uk